Summer Sanctuary Read Online Free PDF

always good to get a different perspective,” Mom replied.
    â€œPerspective-uh!” Grandpa bellowed. “It’s not about perspective-uh! Almighty God-duh said it and that settles it.”
    Mom looked at me, and then back to Grandpa. “What if there’s more to God than what a handful of Jewish men could put into words?”
    â€œBlasphemy!” exclaimed Grandpa. He pounded his fist on the table as he said it. That scared Johnny, and he started crying.
    â€œIf you’ll excuse me,” Mom said. She stood up and picked up Johnny. They walked away from the tablewith Mom bouncing Johnny on her hip until he quieted down.
    â€œWould anyone like more mashed potatoes?” asked Grandma.
    â€œNo, thank you,” Mark and I said in unison.
    Grandpa turned to me. “Son, you know-wuh that the Bible is the absolute truth-uh, don’t you?”
    â€œYes, sir,” I managed to say. I could feel my ears burning.
    â€œEverything you ever need to know is right there in the Good Book,” said Grandpa.
    â€œYes, sir,” I remember saying.
    So I read the story of Dinah again, looking for clues. Then I flipped through the rest of the book of Genesis. There was definitely nothing else about Dinah. If all of the answers to my questions were there, I sure couldn’t find them.
    A gigantic yawn overpowered my thoughts. I slipped the flashlight and Bible back under my bed. My mind drifted from Dinah in the Bible to my Dinah, back to the Canaanites. From the land of Canaan. Land of Canines. And that night, I dreamed about Dinah and old Mrs. Miller’s dogs.

Seven
    S UNDAY SCHOOL AND church took forever. I kept looking around for signs that Dinah was there, had been there. The whole thing seemed like a dream. Mark’s elbow in my ribs brought me back to the service. “Watch it!” I whispered loudly. Mark stuck his tongue out at me as he passed me the offering plate. I handed it to Mom, keeping it out of Johnny’s reach.
    During the sermon I looked at all of the people in the sanctuary. None of them had any idea that our church had its very own houseguest. I didn’t think God would mind. He would want Dinah to be warm and safe and dry. And I liked the feeling that God was in on the secret.
    Dinah was waiting for me at 3:00 behind the church. She had her backpack over her shoulder, but it didn’t look nearly as full as it had the past two days. “Hey, Matthew!” she smiled.
    â€œSo what do you think?” I asked as we walked in the back door.
    â€œIt was weird at first,” Dinah admitted, “but I fell asleep pretty early and didn’t hear anything until the timer went off at 6:30.” She pointed to the stove. “I think my favorite part was waking up to a bathroom and fresh water.” Dinah led the way to the rec area and pulled out two beanbags for us to sit on. “So, welcome to my new home,” she laughed. As I sat down beside her she asked, “Are you sure we won’t have any other visitors this afternoon?”
    â€œDefinitely,” I assured her. “I always come on Sunday afternoons to practice piano, and there’s never anyone here until Dad comes back at 6:30 to get ready for the 7:00 service.”
    â€œCan I listen to you practice?” Dinah asked.
    â€œAre you sure you want to?” I didn’t mind playing in front of the church, but the thought of playing for Dinah suddenly made me nervous. “I mean, I can practice later.”
    Dinah was already up and pulling me up with her. “I definitely want to hear you play. You lead the way.”
    My mind raced through my entire musical repertoire as I led Dinah up to the sanctuary. By the time wereached the piano, I had decided to pull out my classical piano solos book. Beethoven’s
Für Elise
—that would be good. Seems like half of Johnny’s toys play the song, which sounds pretty good even as electronic beeps. At least she